Spartan No More
by I'm My Own OC
Summary: After a tragic event on Reach, Noble 7 goes AWOL and joins a new kind of... military project. M for language and later content. Based off of a thought that became a story in my mind. I have yet to upload the looks and info for my OC(s), but they will be up. Details on where to see them are before chapter 1
1. Chapter 1

_I've been watching a lot of Red vs. Blue, and playing a lot of Halo: Reach recently, and eventually came up with this story idea. Thought it would be fun to try to put into writing so here it is. Both 6 and 7 are on my deviatArt page under the name AssassinAltair93. I'll try to get a second pic of 7 for later in the story soon._

Chapter 1: The Loss of Someone Close

As the rain fell hard from the dark clouds in the sky, they easily betrayed the sadness of one man as he stood outside of a hole in the ground as a casket was lowered. This man, was Colonel Ryan Rosado, also known in his former squad as Noble 7, and the body in the casket was his longtime girlfriend, Rachel, known as Noble 6. He had handled the loss of his squad with a bit more ease, but the death of 6 hit him the hardest.

**-One month earlier, on Reach-**

6 and 7 looked out at the barren wasteland that was once a small base on Reach. The Covenant had completely destroyed it and left it until they had conquered the planet and were ready to glass it over. "What do we do now?" 6 asked, looking at 7 as they just stood there.

"I don't know. I can't get much of a signal on long range. Hopefully Captain Keyes sends a Pelican to pick us up." Ryan said flatly.

"What's bothering you?" Rachel asked, placing a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Was this all really worth it? The Covenant have completely overrun Reach. Even with everything we've done, they just keep sending more troops down here." He answered.

"We did what we had to."

"Yeah, and the others dying along the way."

"None of their deaths could've been prevented." Rachel said.

"Carter's could've. Emile's could've. Jorge's could've. But no, Jorge sacrificed himself to destroy a cruiser. Carter took out a Scarab so we could get the AI to Captain Keyes. If one of us had gone and defended Emile while he was on the MAC gun, he would still be alive." 7 said in a bitter tone. "And so many innocents could've been saved."

"Ryan…" 6 started to say before they both heard a Phantom flying toward them. "We need to find cover!" She said as they started running toward one of the ruined buildings.

"Stay low. If they can't see us, they can't kill us." Ryan said.

"But we're screwed if they do. We're completely outnumbered."

"I know, but we only need to fight until a Pelican gets here." Ryan said as he loaded a full mag into his DMR while 6 loaded a new cartridge into her Needler Rifle. "I still don't understand why you carry that around."

"Because there's always been plenty of ammo laying around for it." 6 said in defense.

"Okay, okay. Looks like… 3 Elite Ultras, a small squad of Spec Ops Grunts with a couple of Heavy's, and a couple of Murmillo Skirmishers. Wait… oh no. Elite Officers." 7 detailed.

"That's not good." Rachel commented, swallowing hard.

"Just stay close to me. We won't stand a chance if we get separated." 7 said, trying to reassure his girlfriend.

"Okay. If we're gonna do this, let's go." 6 said.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

The two Spartans charged out of hiding to confront the Covenant scouting party, managing to take out the Grunts with ease along with the Skirmishers. But with the Elites being such high ranks, they were a lot tougher to bring down. As Ryan had said, they stuck together as close as possible. 6 and 7 had been close since before basic. They grew up together as children, eventually hooking up when they reached the age of 18. Now they were just hoping that they could get off of Reach and hopefully get a little down time.

"They just keep coming! What're we gonna do?" Rachel asked as she reloaded another cartridge into her rifle.

"Keep shooting! We need to last as long as we can!" Ryan said before he heard a distinct hissing. "Grenade! Rachel, move!"

Unfortunately the Plasma Grenade went off just as the two Spartans jumped away from it, separating the two. The blast drained both Spartans shields, and shattered 6's visor, making it impossible to see, causing her to take her helmet off and toss it to the side as she continued to fire at the Elites that started to charge at her.

Once Ryan was up and looked to see Rachel fending for herself, he quickly grabbed his DMR, but by the time he got his sights on one of the Elite Officers, it had already stabbed 6 with one of it's wrist Energy Swords. "6, NO!"

He quickly ran to her, taking the Plasma Repeater from the back of his waist and firing at the Elites in an attempt to get them away from her. But by the time he reached her, she had already lost a lot of blood. '_Oh no.' _Ryan thought as he quickly through down a Bubble Shield while he went into his Trauma Kit to find something to help 6 for the time being. "C'mon Rach, stay with me." He said as he placed a few thick layers of cloth over the wound. "Put pressure on this." He ordered, taking her hand and placing it on the cloth.

"_This is Four Seven Niner. Is anyone alive down there?"_

"Come in Four Seven Niner, this is Spartan 396, Colonel Rosado. We need an evac right now! I have wounded, I repeat, I have wounded."

"_Copy that Colonel. The LZ looks hot. Do you think you can make it to the cliff?"_

Ryan looked to see where the Pelican was intending to go and said, "I'll see what I can do Four Seven. I'm gonna need some cover fire though."

"_On it." _

"C'mon Rach, we're gettin' outta here." Ryan said as he picked up Rachel's helmet and started dragging her toward the Pelican, which was now laying down heavy fire in an attempt to push back the Covenant, if only to give the two Spartans enough time to reach the cliff.

It took about five minutes, but he managed to get Rachel and himself onto the Pelican safely, even with the gunner constantly telling him to leave Rachel to die, but Ryan wouldn't listen, saying that he knows that he can save her.

Once they had taken off, Ryan pulled off his helmet and Rachel's as he applied more pressure to her wound. "C'mon Rachel, stay with me."

"Ryan…" Rachel tried to say, but her voice was hoarse and dry

"I'm here Rach. You're gonna be okay." He said, trying to reassure her, but more to reassure himself.

Rachel's breathing however was starting to slow down, and she was slowly fading away from him. "Rachel. Rachel c'mon, don't close your eyes. Please just stay awake."

"Ryan… I… love... you…" was all Rachel could say before she stopped breathing.

"Rachel? Rachel no. No don't… no."

She died in his arms that day, causing him to break down into tears as he held her body close to him, heartbroken at the loss of not only his teammate, but the love of his life.

**-Present day-**

Ryan just stood and watched in emotional pain as they began to bury the casket that held Rachel's body. She's was the one person in his life that loved him for who he was. What he wanted for their future was taken away from him the day that she died.

But he would always remember her. No matter what happened, no matter where he was, he would always hold onto the last thing that she ever gave him.

**-2 Years Ago-**

Rachel had worked on her present for Ryan's birthday for weeks. And now that it was finished, she couldn't wait to give it to him. When he returned from sniper practice, she immediately rushed up behind him and hopped onto his back, surprising him, but making him laugh before she gave him her gift; a single dog tag with their names and soon to be Spartan call signs engraved into it. "Promise you'll always wear it?" She asked.

"Are you kidding? I'm never letting go of it." Ryan answered before turning his head to kiss her.

**-Present day-**

The very tag that he wore, no matter what, now hung from his hand, held tightly by its chain as Ryan let the tears flow from his eyes, knowing that he will never be able to hold his true love in his arms ever again.

_I know, very emotional start. But I felt it necessary in order for later details to make sense. And for all you fans of Red vs. Blue out there, did you catch the little hint I threw in there? ;) _

_Well, that's it for this chapter. I will update this, but not too soon. I just wanted to get this posted so I could finally get the idea out of my head and not forget about it later._

**I'm My Own OC**

**9/27/12**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Some Time after the Funeral**

**Okay, made a change from the original description. Having him go AWOL would mean that he would be getting hunted down by the UNSC, and i had no idea how i was gonna write anything for that.**

Once Ryan began to leave the funeral, he felt as though his world had changed forever. He knew deep down that he would never forget about Rachel. And even she knew that.

Before being leaving the ONI building, Rachel had a short talk with Dr. Halsey, and asked her for a favor. Rachel knew that Halsey had been doing work on Artificial Intelligence, and asked how an AI was created. When Halsey told her that all AI are based on the memory of someone, Rachel asked Halsey to create and AI of herself that held all memories of her past. When Dr. Halsey asked why, Rachel said that if something ever happened to her, then she wanted to be able to still be with Ryan, even though she wouldn't physically be with him. Halsey agreed and got to work on the AI.

When they reached Halsey's lab beneath the ONI building, Halsey asked Rachel for more information so she could begin inserting her memories into the AI, as it was near completion.

Now that Rachel was gone, Dr. Halsey knew that now was the best time to tell Ryan about the AI.

When Ryan returned to the UNSC barracks on Earth, he was met at the door by Dr. Halsey, who told him about the AI Rachel had asked her to create for him to have as a lasting memory of her. The only catch was that the AI had to be implanted into the back of neck. Even with that being the case, he still went through with the surgery, happy to have Rachel back in his life. Well, sort of.

But after the surgery, the higher ups of the UNSC discharged Ryan, saying that they knew he was still shaken up after Rachel's death, his battle proficiency would suffer greatly, and his need for revenge would do nothing but get himself killed.

He accepted his discharge with little more than a slight nod before leaving and returning to his apartment. The one that he and Rachel had shared since they enlisted. They didn't get much time off during training, but when they did, they spent it in their small apartment that they both seemed to love until they found a better place.

Ryan was planning on pack all of Rachel's things and put them in storage, but then decided against it for reasons he wasn't sure of.

After about two months since the funeral, Ryan had readjusted to civilian life after being in the military for several years. He was still living comfortably in his apartment and always talking with Rachel's AI, who was called Zeta until Ryan became comfortable calling her by the name of the one he loved.

It was now a calm Sunday morning. Ryan was just heading home after meeting up with some old friends and told them about what happened on Reach before telling them about Zeta, the AI based off of Rachel. Of course, because she carried all of Rachel's memories, she knew every one of their friends and was able to joke and talk with them without any problems or confusion.

As Ryan made his way home, a man was standing on the stairs of the apartment building and looked as though he was waiting for someone. Before approaching the stairs, Ryan told Zeta to log off, just so they didn't have to answer any questions that they didn't want to.

"Excuse me, are you waiting for someone?" The ex-Spartan asked.

"As a matter of fact I am." The man said. "I'm looking for a man by the name of Ryan Rosado. He's a former member of the UNSC."

"That would be me. And you are?"

"My name is Doctor Leonard Church. The Director of Project Freelancer" The man said, introducing himself.

"What is that you want with me?" He asked.

"If you could spare a few minutes, I would like to discuss something with you."

Ryan thought about it for a minute and said, "Alright."

"Very good. Come, let's take a walk." Director Church said as he began to walk down the sidewalk, Ryan following close by.

"So what is it that you want to talk to me about Doctor Church?" Ryan asked.

"Please, you may just call me Director. Everyone else does."

"Very well, Director. What is it you want?"

"To ask you a single question."

"And what might that be?"

"Project Freelancer is in need of someone with your… talent." The Director began to say.

"Forget it. I only just got my normal life back two months ago. Well, mostly normal."

"What do you mean by that?" The Director asked.

"I lost something 3 months ago. Something very precious and important to me. I lost the love of my life. She died in my arms on Reach. And my superiors discharged me, knowing that my grief over her death would hamper my proficiency in battle. And I still haven't gotten over her death. Do you have any idea what that's like Director? To lose someone you love? To see the life leave their eyes as you just watch helplessly?" Ryan asked as tears began to run down his cheeks.

"Believe it or not, I do know what that is like." The Director said. "But she didn't die in my arms. I never got my chance to serve during the war. I always ask myself that had I been given the chance, could I have saved her? Would things be different today if she were still alive? You and I have suffered very similar losses. And it's those loses that shape us into the people we _want _to be." The Director said, placing a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Do you want to continue to protect your friends and the people you care about?"

"Of course. More than anything."

"Then I believe I can help you. Join Project Freelancer, and you will help become a part of something that wishes to help mankind."

Again, Ryan thought for a minute about what the Director was saying. If he could protect people and not worry about being "let go" because of past events, then he was willing to do it. With a sigh, Ryan said, "Very well Director. But I want to tell you this now. If I decide that I'm finished with this 'Project Freelancer', then…"

"Do not worry. I will not stop you from leaving so that you may return to your normal life. I will give the rest of the day to get anything you may need. I will have one of my agents come to pick you up tomorrow morning. From this day, you will be known as Agent… Vermont." The Director said.

"Thank you sir."

"One last thing before I let you go. Do you wish to keep your old armor, or would you rather prefer a new suit?"

"A new suit would be better so I'm not constantly reminded of Reach." Ryan said as he began walking back to his apartment to pack what he needed.

**Well, that's chapter two. Any Red vs. Blue fans want to take a guess as to where I'm going to start the next chapter?**

**I'm My Own OC**

**10/27/12 **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Meeting the Number 1**

**I know it's been nearly a month since I've updated, but my brain just can't seem to focus on a single story. Colbent, if for some reason you start reading this and see this note, I know. I'm shooting myself in the foot for having so many stories started.**

**To any Red vs. Blue fans reading, were any of you surprised that Carolina DIDN'T kill the Director at the end of Season 10? And why did she lean in close to hi… holy crap. Now it all makes sense. **

**Well, I'm not gonna say anything more. If I do, I'll probably end up filling this chapter with a rant about the end of season 10. Anyway, here's the next chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Red vs Blue. All rights belong to Rooster Teeth. I also do not anything to do with Halo. All rights for that belong to Microsoft and Bungie. Whoops, I meant 343 Industries. My bad :p**

"Ryan, are you sure you want to do this?" Rachel/Zeta asked as she watched Ryan pack from behind him. She was able to become nearly physical, but still had to maintain her AI appearance as a pink hologram of her in her armor, but without her helmet.

"If it means that I can protect our friends and family, then yes." Ryan answered. "And there's nothing you can say or do to stop me."

"I know." She sighed. "I just wish you would seriously think about this for a minute. You were discharged from the UNSC because they knew that you would be able to properly fight the Covenant because of my death. And now you're joining this Project Freelancer?" The small pink hologram asked.

"Why do you even care?" Ryan asked angrily as he turned to look at her.

"Because I don't want you to die!" She screamed, taking Ryan by surprise. She then walked over to him and placed a hand on his chest, sighing in surprise as she didn't know that she could actually feel, let alone touch him. "What is it that you're trying to prove?"

He was quiet for a minute before answering, "That I can protect the people I care about. I already lost you. I don't want to lose anyone else important to me."

"And you joining this group is gonna help you prove that?" Rachel asked. "Come back to reality Ryan. You can't save everyone."

"But I could've saved you. We should be enjoying our lives together." He said, starting to get emotional. "I tried so hard to save you."

"I know." Rachel said as Ryan sat on the bed. She sat next to him and said, "If you want to go through with this, I'm not going to stop you. But just promise me that you won't push yourself and get yourself killed. The last thing I want is to lose you like you did me."

"I won't. I promise." Ryan said as he got up to finish packing, going to a closet that held the last few things he needed.

"Are you taking that stuff with you?" Rachel asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To remind me of what I could've done to make things different." He said as he began to pack his old Reach armor along with his DMR and Rachel's Needle Rifle.

"I still don't understand why the UNSC allowed you to keep our weapons." Rachel said as she got off of the bed and shrunk down to about a foot tall and floated over to Ryan's shoulder.

"Does it really matter anymore? Besides, your Needle Rifle is one of the few things that I have to remember you. But this AI of you and the tag you gave me will always be the most important to me." Ryan said as he heard a knock at his door. "Log off."

"Will do." Rachel said before disappearing as Ryan walked over to the door with his pistol in hand. He had become a little paranoid since returning from Reach and preferred not to take any chance when answering the door.

When he looked into the peep hole, he saw a woman in cyan Recon armor holding a Rogue helmet under her arm. When he opened the door slightly, the woman asked, "Are you Ryan Rosado?"

"Yes. And you are?"

"My name is Agent Carolina. I was sent by the Director of…"

"Director Church to come and pick me. I'm almost finished, would you like to come in?" He offered.

"Thank you." Carolina said as Ryan opened the door and allowed her to enter the apartment as he closed the door and placed his pistol on the bureau next to it. "Do you always answer the door with that in your hand?"

"Is it a crime to be cautious?" He asked.

"_It's called being paranoid." _Rachel said so only Ryan could hear, causing him to roll his eyes in irritation.

"I don't blame you. I've heard of other war veterans doing the same." Carolina said as she took a seat on the couch. "The Director told me that he's already given you your new designation. Would you like me to address you by that name?" Carolina asked.

"You can call me whatever you want when we're alone. But in front of the Director, please just call me Vermont or Agent Vermont."

"What about in front of the other Freelancers?"

"Same thing. Or VT. Whichever works for you and the others." Ryan said as he went back to finish packing. "I don't suppose you can tell me about some of the other Freelancers could you?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Mainly who it is I'll be working with."

"Well in that case, I can give you the names of my team."

"_Your _team?" Ryan asked.

"Yes. The Director has put me in charge of a small number of Freelancers. There's Washington, York, the twins North and South Dakota, Maine, Connecticut, Wyoming, myself, and now you."

"I see. Anything I should know in particular about any of them?" Ryan asked.

"Yes. Connecticut doesn't like being called Connie and prefers CT. South has a bit of a temper, and Maine… well, let's just say he's not one you want to make angry." Carolina explained.

"_Sounds like a Brute Chieftain when shot in the head."_ Rachel commented.

"I'll keep that in mind." Ryan said before _taking_ both of his duffel bags and throwing them over his shoulders. "Alright. Let's go." He said as he followed Carolina out of the apartment, making sure to grab his pistol and lock the door behind him.

**Well, trying to figure out how to continue this was a headache. Ah well. I'll save what I was thinking for the next chapter.**

**I'm My Own OC**

**11/24/12**


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